The Prince Wants to Retire

 The Crown Prince Wishes to Retire 

19. Continental Conference (2)

Only five kingdoms were summoned to the Continental Conference by the Empire.

Iron from the West Merchant Alliance.

The Southern powers, Talos and Rotheon.

The Holy Kingdom of Saintia in the North.

The Luminous Principality in the East.

The diplomatic correspondence was filled with barely contained anger, urging the leaders of all nations to visit the Emperor without delay.

The leaders fumed at the veiled demand but felt powerless to resist.

At this time, touching the Empire the wrong way could unleash all that fury upon them.

But they couldn’t just sit back and take it.

In a bold move, the Holy Kingdom’s Pope decided to attend the Continental Conference personally.

To top it off, he announced he would bring along the Sun Blade, the kingdom’s strongest sword and the next Master in line.

The message was clear: they intended to withstand the Empire’s pressure, even slightly.

The two Southern nations swiftly summoned their own Masters.

Talos and Rotheon were ready to stand alongside the Holy Kingdom against the Empire’s might.

Caught off guard were Duke Cletta and Duke Pires.

“Did you also come?”

“Indeed.”

The two Masters from Talos and Rotheon sighed as they locked eyes.

While it seemed that for the Southern Kingdoms, aligning with the Holy Kingdom was a strategy against the Empire’s pressure, to them, it was meaningless.

If they were trying to counter three Masters, one could argue it was a decent strategy.

However, they knew that the most dangerous figures in the Empire were not them.

Dukes Cletta and Pires silently gazed at the mountain’s peak.

“……”

“……”

From the top of the mountain where the two Dukes kept their silence, a red light flickered, emanating magical waves.

It was evident even to the Masters that the source of this astounding phenomenon was none other than the Crown Prince.

Their visit to confirm the occurrence at the peak under the pretext of aiding the Empire made the competition that had been brewing since before the Continental Conference seem utterly pointless.

The flames reminiscent of the First Emperor appeared each time the Ignit Empire faced a crisis.

And now, those flames were being carried by none other than the Crown Prince.

With just his innate talent, he was already a force to be reckoned with; possessing flames meant hopelessness for foreign nations.

‘If we lay low, we might survive?’

‘That’ll be difficult.’

Duke Cletta’s gaze fell as Duke Pires shook his head with a sigh.

After a moment of silence filled with turmoil, Duke Cletta spoke.

“Phew… it seems that this Continental Conference won’t simply end with compensation or the handing over of wrongdoers.”

At Cletta’s words, Pires nodded with a grim expression.

When they thought of a Continental Conference, they expected all nations to be called, but calling only these five was clearly intentional.

Only the kingdoms capable of being called nations by standards worthy of the might of the Ignit Empire in the West.

Which meant, there were exactly five of them.

What about the rest?

Nations barely deserving to be called small countries.

Yet, they had audaciously nibbled at the Empire’s interests like parasites.

In other words, the Empire was showing its intent not to tolerate such small nations any longer by inviting just these five.

“It suggests the time to decide whether to stand idly by or resist is approaching.”

“Phew…”

The two Dukes sighed deeply, but it was futile.

Ultimately, the decision lay with the King.

They were merely to act according to the King’s orders.

Boom!

As the two Masters sighed, they suddenly looked alarmed at the tremors beneath them and rushed to gaze at the volcano.

From the volcano’s peak where the strange magical waves had been radiating, a red pillar shot into the sky.

“It seems it’s time to return to the kingdom.”

“Indeed. Let us meet in the capital of Ignit.”

The massive amount of mana spiraling into the sky hinted that the volcano’s power was swiftly fading.

In essence, this signified that their business here was nearly concluded.

All that was left was to escort their king and head to the Empire’s capital.

Just as the Southern Allied Forces began preparing to return to their land, the Southern Count and Eastern Count also started mobilizing their troops.

As the events on Kapur Volcano gradually came to a close, the Imperial Palace of Ignit was troubled by the Holy Kingdom’s decisions.

“Now they wish to make a pilgrimage?”

“Yes, they claim it’s to visit the northern regions of the Empire and then proceed to the capital.”

The Foreign Minister’s statement left the Third Prince Seriel with a perplexed expression.

The Second Prince Rufiel also looked astonished.

“And what is the reason?”

“To express apologies for the Holy Kingdom’s failure to effectively counter the Dark Mages.”

Rufiel grimaced at the Foreign Minister’s explanation.

“What’s their hidden intention?”

“It appears they want to cover up the fact that the Temple colluded with the Dark Mages. The Holy Kingdom has already declared the temples collaborating with the Dark Mages as heretical.”

With the Foreign Minister’s explanation, the expressions of the two Princes hardened.

“Heretical… so they are acknowledging their fault?”

“Yes, it seems they plan to come with the Inquisition to deal with the temples linked to the Dark Mages. The Pope will also be traveling to the affected areas to soothe the enraged followers. They have already sent word to the Empire that they would comply with the Empire’s demands regarding any matters related to the Dark Mages without negotiation.”

The two Princes were shocked at the extent to which the Holy Kingdom had backed down.

They felt satisfied enough just to deliver such humiliation to the proud Holy Kingdom, and the Foreign Minister thought this was a commendable outcome.

But the Crown Prince would have thought differently.

‘His Highness would not be satisfied with this.’

Having already gauged the Crown Prince’s disposition, the Foreign Minister reflected inwardly.

The two Princes felt the same way.

‘My older brother would not be content with just this.’

‘What more can we extract?’

As the two Princes pondered, they considered their own ways to pressure the Holy Kingdom.

“What do you think their intentions are, Minister?”

With the Second Prince’s question, the Foreign Minister paused for a moment before responding.

“First, they seem to aim to maintain the Holy Kingdom’s standing within the Empire, regardless of the cost.”

“Is that the only reason?”

The Foreign Minister shook his head at the Second Prince’s inquiry.

“It seems they are laying the groundwork for future negotiations. They’re likely to endure some humiliation now to build a case for the Continental Conference.”

“For what purpose?”

“Seeing the Inquisition accompanying them, we should consider the possibility that they intend to take the imprisoned priests for their own punishment.”

“Is that all?”

The Foreign Minister nodded at the Second Prince’s question.

“Indeed. While it is humiliating at the moment, considering the future, it’s understandable.”

The return of the guilty priests to the Holy Kingdom by the Inquisition meant that even if they faced execution there, it would signify that the Holy Kingdom had not completely fallen from grace in the eyes of the West.

Meaning that if they could just make it through this moment, there was a possibility to regain their former glory.

The Pope was strategizing for the future.

“For now, I must continue to uncover the Dark Mages. I need to dig deeper into the priests’ corruption.”

“Then I shall delve into the misconduct of the priests.”

Thus, the two Princes put their heads together to find ways to corner the Pope.

However, it would be challenging for these young Princes to handle an old fox.

If the Pope returned from his pilgrimage of apology in the North, public opinion towards the Holy Kingdom might change.

What would happen if that cunning man started to manipulate his words in that situation?

The Foreign Minister closed his eyes in horror.

To face the Pope, someone needed to maintain composure and oversee the various departments while pressuring the Holy Kingdom.

Yet, the two Princes tried to manage things within their own authority.

‘They are still inexperienced.’

The Foreign Minister thought this, his expression tinged with regret.

In reality, this was understandable.

Given their youth and lack of experience, it was hard to say they weren’t doing well.

In fact, compared to past Emperors and royals, they were doing quite commendably.

However, the Foreign Minister, having witnessed the brilliance of the Crown Prince, found the actions of the two Princes to seem considerably lacking.

“……Perhaps it would be wise to summon the Ministry of Internal Affairs and the Inspection Department to develop a definitive plan?”

At the Foreign Minister’s suggestion, the two Princes glanced at him and slowly nodded.

They were up against the Pope.

Approaching such a figure half-heartedly could easily lead to a counteroffensive.

They had to approach with caution so as not to miss a prime opportunity to outmaneuver the Holy Kingdom.

Eventually, the two Princes decided to secretly convene the Inspection Department, Ministry of Internal Affairs, and Military to discuss the Holy Kingdom.

But a quick conclusion was unlikely.

Each department had its stance, and approached their focal areas uniquely.

Moreover, with the Princes having differing opinions, compromise was unlikely.

‘What a mess.’

The Foreign Minister sighed, observing quietly, before reporting the situation to the Emperor in secret.

Eventually, a Grand Council Meeting was convened by the Emperor’s authority, addressing topics related to the Pope’s Northern pilgrimage of apology.

Despite the experience of sitting on the throne being invaluable, the meeting proceeded normally, contrasting sharply with the two Princes’ earlier incompetence.

However, that didn’t mean a sharp solution emerged.

The discussions were merely an organized refinement of what each department had initially expressed, with some opinions minimally mediating towards a viable response.

‘Would it have been different if I had reported it?’

As the Foreign Minister watched the Grand Council Meeting, he thought of Kariel in the Southeast.

If it had been Kariel, he likely would have pressured the Pope before things deteriorated to this extent.

Considering Kariel’s past actions, it’s clear he would have been hard at work devising a plan since the moment the Pope announced his participation in the Continental Conference.

As this thought crossed his mind, a bitter smile crept onto the Foreign Minister’s face.

His current situation was certainly much more comfortable.

Back in the days of the Crown Prince, he had been filled with anxiety, suffering from hair loss and constantly working late into the night.

Yet, for some reason, he found himself missing the Crown Prince today.

“Phew… that old fox is such a headache.”

At the Emperor’s words, the nobles in the hall bowed deeply.

News had already spread throughout the Empire about the Pope coming personally and the presence of kings from all nations attending, along with the leaders bringing their Masters.

There were rumors that this began with the Holy Kingdom and that following that, news of the Pope’s pilgrimage for apologies began circulating, drawing everyone’s attention to him.

What would happen if he arrived in the capital and started chatting?

The intricate setup Kariel had painstakingly laid out could collapse.

“Set a date for the Crown Prince’s retirement ceremony and prepare.”

Predicting this situation, Kariel’s carefully crafted move spilled from the Emperor’s lips.

If the Pope sought to play a strategy through issues, they would cover it up with an even bigger issue.

The Emperor expressed intent to personally preside over the Crown Prince’s retirement ceremony, demanding it be the most splendid retirement ceremony imaginable.

As if the Continental Conference was merely a pretext to gather the leaders of all nations for the Crown Prince’s retirement, all schedules were arranged around that central theme.

Once this news was officially announced in the Empire, all prior rumors would lose their power.